When One Door Opens
by LizWinston
Summary: Elizabeth Winston is a young girl attending Oxford University. After the death of her parents and the obstacles she overcame, she still tried to find herself through books and overachievement. It isn't until she meets Professor Matthew Clairmont that Elizabeth will realize how little she knows of the world around her, just like the past she wishes to forget.
1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth Winston was new to Oxford, especially as one of the youngest students to complete their bachelor's degrees there. Her intelligence and parent's dying wish is what motivated her to attend the same institution that her parents attended as well.

Growing up parentless and with illness made her develop her independence earlier than expected. Orphaned at 14, she had to learn how to rely on herself and ensure that she continued on with her education, from boarding school to higher education. With her type 1 diabetes, Elizabeth was aware of the danger and precautions she had to take to ensure her wellbeing. But that didn't mean that she would have moments where her carelessness led her moments of danger.

—

As she walked from her rooms to her classes, Elizabeth's mind was in a whirlwind. Her first year at Oxford was full of anxiousness and excitement, but most of all it was filled with distractions. As she walked to the building hosting her first class, she tried going over her morning. She had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something, but she couldn't quite place her finger. It wasn't until she started sweating and shaking, that she remembered: she hadn't measured her sugar before she left her rooms.

Filled with fear and worry, she looked through her messenger bag to find her emergency glucometer and insulin pen. As she frantically searched her bag for the apparatus, she hasn't realized she was to bump into someone until she felt the impact of someone's back against her front. Losing balance, she fell back and crashed to her back with her hands still in her bag. Her vision started getting blurry and difficult to focus on her surroundings.

The man who was in front of her turned around and kneeled towards her when he saw her on the ground. "Excuse me, are you alright?"

Elizabeth had some trouble responding, as the combination of high sugar levels and fear were preventing her from responding. The only thing she saw was this man's kind eyes. It was there that she noticed what this man had been looking at: the small bracelet with a red tag in the middle that was located in her left hand. This was the only thing indicating her health issue.

"Marcus, she has high sugar levels. She needs to be attended right away!" The man bent down to scoop Elizabeth from the ground and stood up her in his arms. Her quickly made way to the building where he could help this young woman.

"Make way right now! Jump ahead, Marcus! Make sure there is everything needed at the medical office!"

Elizabeth looked up at the man carrying her and felt her energy fade away. She was losing focus and was ready to close her eyes and fade away. The man looked down and saw her losing consciousness and staring shaking her as he ran as humanly possible.

"You need to stay awake, young lady! Come one, don't give up! We're almost there. Hold on a little longer."

It was those last words that she heard from the man as she drifted away, wondering if her parents were ready to see her this early.


	2. To Build A Home

Darkness was all-consuming, but voices were floating near her surroundings. She heard a male voice, that sounded deep enough to let her know it came from a man, but it was soft enough to know that he was kind. And she heard the voice of a stern woman, her voice becoming louder and louder with every word she spoke.

"Professor Claremont, the young lady could have died. She should be in the custody of someone, not living alone ."

"Well, Claire, who knows why her sugar was so high. It's just a relief that Professor Whitmore and I were present to help her."

When she heard the voices approaching her, Elizabeth realized she needed to wake up. With her body laying down on a cot, she tried moving some of her extremities, trying to regain consciousness, but it was more difficult than what she thought. It wasn't until she moved her fingers that the adults directed their focus to her, quickly shuffling to her side and be present once she opened her eyes.

And so it happened. Elizabeth opened her eyes and her focus was first directed to the older woman on her left side. With nurse scrubs on and a stethoscope hanging by her neck, the woman approached her and held Elizabeth's wrist between her thumb and index finger. While the nurse was taking her pulse, she started asking questions, "So my dear, it seems that we were a little careless this morning, won't you agree?"

Elizabeth looked down at her hands, knowing what her mistake was thing morning and how she could have avoided the situation. "I know I didn't measure my sugar, but I was in a hurry to attend my first class. But I can assure you that this will not happen again."

She knew that it was rare to have a minor be independent without an adult to watch over, but after she got emancipated in the States, she fought for the same here in England. She was not going to lose what she had fought for so hard.

"Why don't you have someone watching over you? I am sure that you must have a family member or guardian watching over you?", the nurse glanced her over as she made a friendly but self-assertive suggestion.

Elizabeth realized that this was the question that she was hoping to avoid for weeks to come. It was something that she saw coming, but after speaking to the administration, she thought it would never come up. And an unspoken message.

Being a 17 year old in England with no one to look after her, Elizabeth didn't want to be reminded of the traumatizing reason as to why she was orphaned three years ago.

The nurse sighed, "Well be thankful that Professor Clairmont and his colleague were there. You are very lucky to be alive at the moment."

It wasn't until his name was mentioned that Elizabeth thought about glancing at the man that had ultimately saved her life.

His face was dark and focused on her. While Elizabeth was trying to get up and have a better look at this face, Professor Clairmont took a slight step back. That movement would not have been noticeable has she not been laying so close to him.

"Thank you for helping me, Professor. And please thank your colleague for helping me as well." Elizabeth then saw herself following the man's every movement. For some reason, it seemed the more she wanted to lean towards him, the more he seemed to move away, but with struggle.

As she tried to move, she looked up at the wall in front of her and saw the clock hanging at the top. The time indicating on the clock made her remember why she had forgotten to measure her glucose in the first place.

"Crap! I am so sorry but I am an hour late for my class!" Elizabeth pushed herself off the bed, towards her right side, but that was the first of many mistakes that she made.

When she landed on her feet, she couldn't hold her weight. She just about collapsed had it not been for a pair of hands that held her, without letting her drop to the floor. As she felt the pressure of Professor Clairmont's hands on her arms, a sense of deja vu ran over her, a nightmare she had long forgotten.

_There were hands wrappers around her arms, paired with a grunting bear her ears that made her feel dirty._

_Pushing the person, she tried gaining control of her limbs, but she felt like a rag doll, with no control of her muscles. It seemed like she was caught in hell, and trapped with the person she least expected. _

_"You're a very good girl, Elizabeth" _

_"Elizabeth" _

"Elizabeth"

That far-away voice distorted to the voice of the man next to her. That flashback was so far, yet so close, which left her confused, distorted, and distrustful. One thing she knew was that she had to leave the room. Quickly, she stood, without faltering, and sighted her belongings behind the nurse. Elizabeth rushed around the cot and grabbed her items. As she was heading to the exit, presumably, she turns around, avoiding the male in the room.

Staring at the nurse, Elizabeth acknowledged her, "Thank you for your help and for your care today. I will email you to let you know how I am and to follow up. Have a good day."

Elizabeth walked out of the door and crossed the nurse's office. Before she walked out, she quickly grabbed a business card from the nurse's desk.

She walked as quickly as her feet could take rushed out of the building, never looking headed out to the courtyard, keeping an ear out for any footsteps.

Once she was outside, she felt a chill envelop her, like goosebumps before you touch the first winter's snow. Her body assimilated into a winter where the sun was out on a rare autumn day.

It was then that she looked back to the building that she walked out from but, instinctively, looked up at the window.

There was the man that undoubtedly saved her life, but may have also become her worst nightmare.


	3. Fire on Fire

Sitting in front of the fire in her rooms with a blanket wrapped around herself, Elizabeth thinks back to the flashback, analyzing and going back to the life she left behind. Grabbing her mug filled with hot chamomile tea, she tried pushing back the horrible trauma that her body and mind went through.

Seven years ago, she left her parents in fear.

Three years ago, fear was the cause that took her parents and left Elizabeth orphaned.

Ever since she was violated, Elizabeth knew she had to get a fresh start had to move forward, which is why she left for boarding school. Coming from pedigree parents who traveled to get educated, they were happy to see their only daughter follow in their footsteps. What her parents didn't know was the reason that made her travel across the country and into Canada to complete her education.

Now, Elizabeth had to fight her demons on her own once again. Seven years ago and today didn't have much of a difference, except her age and where she was attending school. During high school, she had no one having her back and that is the case for this time around. Alone, Elizabeth was ready to face once again all her mental challenges, spontaneous occurrences around her, and for the stranger's stares that she would get. But did she want to do this alone?

Never.

Remembering how lonely she was, her body started giving out. Elizabeth placed her mug on the floor next to her, making sure that her trembling hands didn't spill any of the hot liquid that was inside. Her senses were going into overdrive, her brain shortcircuiting because of the fear and sadness that was consuming her. She couldn't remember when was the last time something like this had happened, but what she did remember is how abnormal and destructive this would end in.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing, hoping that this episode would pass by quickly and with as little damage as possible. She placed her hands in front of her to lean some weight on the floor when she realized that there was no floor. Gasping, she opens her eyes and realized that her body is hovering parallel of the floor, floating a couple of feet above the ground.

_This can't be happening,_ she thought, _I thought that this wouldn't happen again. What am I doing? What is going on? _

Before she could panic anymore than she already was, she felt someone staring at her. Looking around her, she viewed through the windows in her living quarters, hoping it was her paranoia getting the best of her. It was when she looked through the window on her right that she saw something, _or someone, _blur away from the rooftop across from her building. This moment was getting stranger and stranger by the second, and it made Elizabeth focus on herself and place herself back to the ground.

She took a deep breath and tried centering herself, bringing calm memories that would bring her some ease in this storm of emotion. Little by little, she felt her body become slightly heavier by the second until her body landed on the wooden floor that decorated her room. Right after she landed, her mind started becoming fuzzy and unfocused. Elizabeth tried her hardest to keep her eyes and mind open, but the darkness consumed her, taking her to oblivion.

—

Weeks passed and there was no incident after that horrible first week of school. Elizabeth became more aware of her sugar level and always ensured that she carried a small snack for emergencies. With her classes picking up, she once again threw herself to the only thing that brought her comfort and solace: academics.

Going to and from classes, Elizabeth kept a close eye for those around her, specifically for the life-saving gentleman. She did not want to have to explain or share anything to him, especially after having to go through an incident caused by the flashback. Since the incident with Professor Clairmont, she made sure to avoid anyone who might remotely look like him and focused on getting through this year as seamlessly as possible.

As the weeks went by, the weather became fierce and cold, making the leaves fall from branches, and making it the perfect environment for running. Among other things, Elizabeth found solace and strength in running, being able to unload some of the weight she carries every day and let go of all the ghosts that haunt her every day. With the cold weather that came about in mid-October, Elizabeth jumped in her running attire and went out to seek some serenity on a late afternoon.

Her route was fairly simple and she always maintained herself in an area where there were more people and foot traffic, being aware of her safety and wellbeing. She ran along the outskirts of campus, giving herself enough time to feel the burning in her muscles and lungs, that guaranteed she was pushing herself to her capacity.

By the time that she was finishing her run, she realized that she hadn't brought a water bottle with her. Elizabeth's throat was begging for some hydration, but the only thing in her sights was a small pub, a hole in the wall. Well knowing that she might be kicked out for being underage, she walked in and approached the bar that was near the entrance. As she waited for the bartender to acknowledge her, she took some time to observe her surroundings.

Elizabeth hadn't caught the name of the pub, but she assumed that it somehow had to do with fairytales. There were pages from books plastered as wallpaper in the majority of the bar, with plants and other figures decorated the interior, and finished with wooden furniture, barstools, and window ledges for customers to sit on. Before she could secretly acknowledge how much she liked the interior she heard a loud screech coming from the bartender.

The bartender was a short sturdy woman in some overalls with her frizzy hair in a bun. What made Elizabeth take a step back was the look in the woman's eyes: they were black and filled with rage as if someone had just killed her whole family and ready to take revenge.

"You little squirt best be getting out of my place! I will not be dealing with rascals again this year! You best be off now before I call the police!"

Ready to go around the bar, I approached her in a calm but steady manner. Elizabeth knew that adults assumed trouble just because of her age, but every single time, she made sure to prove them wrong.

"Ma'am, I am sorry for intruding like this, but I just want a cup of water if you don't mind. Yes, I know that I am a minor, but I can assure you that I mean no trouble here." With her hands in front of her, she held the woman's stare. Not once did Elizabeth let up, and that seemed to satisfy the business owner. With a small nod, the bartender went back behind the bar and got a small glass from behind and filled it with tap water. She left it on top of the bar and tilted her head to Elizabeth, signaling for her to join in.

Elizabeth gave a sigh of relief as she leaned on the bar and grabbed the cup, drinking it like a man dying of thirst in a desert. When she finished, she placed the glass once again on the bar and gave a small smile to the woman, knowing that the bartender was staring at her the whole time.

Elizabeth was thankful for her. "Thank you, ma'am. My name is Elizabeth, its nice to meet you." She held her hand out to shake it.

The woman arched an eyebrow, surprised by the young woman's manners. The bartender extended her hand and shook Elizabeth's.

"Nice to meet you lass. My name is Mary. What is a young woman like you running around without a parent?"

Elizabeth was struck by Mary's bluntness, but she didn't take it in a disrespectful manner. Like when she came in: adults just suspected from teens like her. But before she could answer, a man's voice joined the conversation.

"I would ask the same thing Elizabeth."

It was that voice that made Elizabeth's blood run cold and her face go pale...


	4. Carry You

_Carry You by Ruelle ft. Fleurie_

She could not believe her ears. Things were going so well for her, in school and her personal life. Now, all the effort that she has been investing herself in and her education were going mostly to waste. She didn't want to even imagine what tonight was going to be like for her.

Elizabeth turned around and looked into Professor Clairmont's eyes. Filled with curiosity, amusement, and sternness, his eyes were saying something that his tone wasn't delivering.

Realizing the silence that befell in the conversation, she took this opportunity to answer Mary's question.

"I am an orphan. After my parents died, I emancipated myself back in the States and studied from school to school. I currently am a student at Oxford," Elizabeth shared while maintaining her gaze with the man next to her. Before things became too awkward, she looked back at Mary with a small smile.

"Thank you, Mary, for the glass of water. I should head back to my rooms. Hope to catch you some other time. Good day." And with that, Elizabeth pushed herself off of the bar counter and walked through the exit.

Once outside, Elizabeth gulped air, silently gasping with fear of an oncoming panic attack or maybe her body was short-circuiting. Whichever the excuse it may be, she headed for the small alley that was to the side of the bar. Ducking in, Elizabeth leaned against the wall, leaning her back on the wall and placing her hands on her knees. This wasn't happening. Elizabeth's brain was overthinking every single detail that came to her and she couldn't control it. Her body felt like it was betraying her and she had no control over it. She started seeing black spots and realized that she wasn't breathing, therefore she was losing consciousness.

Before she even realized, there was a small whisper of a voice that was pleading to her.

_Take a breath now._

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

_Inhale._

_Exhale._

Her body was following what the voice told her. Slowly but surely, Elizabeth's eyes were becoming clearer and she was more aware of her surroundings. It was then, a little too late, she realized who brought her back to Earth.

It was those black eyes, that held so much emotion, that was looking straight into her plain brown ones. This man had become such a paradox towards her, she didn't know how to react towards this new calm and serenity around him. She looked down to her hands being enveloped by his, leaning down and trying to parallel Elizabeth's height. Carefully, Elizabeth straightened her back and, without letting go of the professor's hands, she stood straight and continued to take deep breaths.

Professor Clairmont raised a corner of his lips as if something were amusing him. "Elizabeth, we shouldn't have to meet like this," his tone slightly lighthearted, "I hope you understand that everyone that crosses your path is a trained physician."

Elizabeth laughed. A genuine light laugh. _Paradoxical person indeed, _Elizabeth thought.

"Believe it or not, Professor, these incidents have not been purposefully incited. I have more than enough hardship to go through as a teenager, much more with a medical condition."

The professor nodded and looked down at his hands. Conscious that Elizabeth was alright, he removed his hands from hers and placed them in his pockets. He looked down at the teenager in front of him and couldn't help but image what this girl's story was.

Realizing that she was taking up his time, she stood with her back straight and sidestepped towards the sidewalk. Knowing what he can ask anything and everything, her walls came up and made sure she let nothing out.

"I should be heading back to my rooms now Professor. Thank you again for all your help." With that, Elizabeth walked back towards her college, but a hand kept her from moving forward. She looked back at the hand and then to the face that belonged to the hand. She was ready to go back to her room and once again avoid for another month until she forgot him, but apparently, he had other plans. _What else could he want now?_ she thought, _Wonder if he wants to talk about last. Definitely not an option._

Elizabeth turned her body towards him, moving her weight to lean on one leg and looked at the Professor in front of her, expectantly.

"Despite what just happened, you disregard your health as it is something that is of no importance. Now, why would an intelligent lady like you have an attitude like that?"

"It is not that I have a 'disregard for my health', as you put it, but rather than I know what my body does and how I handle it"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Earlier, it seemed like you couldn't even control your breathing. Not to mention the first time you met, you forgot to measure your glucose level and almost sent your body into shock."

That broke the dam Elizabeth was holding.

Suddenly, the wind picked up on the street, slowly but forcefully, and moved the leaves from the cobblestone road to the alley where both Elizabeth and the professor were situated in. She was tired of hearing his reproach and the tone from every adult. The tone of her father.

Her fingers were tingling, along with the rest of her extremities. As Elizabeth looked down, she saw her feet float a couple of inches above the ground, leveling her with the man in front of her. When she lifted her gaze, she looked into the astonished eyes of the man who started this all.

When Elizabeth reflects back on this moment in the future, she will realize that the look that the man had was not of astonishment but of pride and bewilderment. It was the same look that he will continue to give her in the future until either pride or bewilderment leaves Matthew Clairmont's eyes.

As the wind picks up dangerously, he realizes that he has to control the girl in front of him before someone spots the origin of these _supernatural _occurrences. Carefully, Professor Clairmont places both hands carefully on each side of her collarbone. He leaves them there for a couple of before he starts to gently press down while making sure to maintain eye contact on Elizabeth. At the moment, she was the most important (and the most dangerous) person in his current surroundings.

Slowly but surely, Elizabeth starts to land on her feet and the wind calms to a gentle breeze. She snaps out of her trance and looks up to Professor Clairmont, unsure how to explain what just happened and what his response would be. Once again, this professory left the young lady floored.

"You do know that it is against Congregation rules for witches to publicly display their magic?"

Elizabeth was both confused and flabbergasted! _What is the Congregation? And witches?! What is the world is this man talking about? _Elizabeth was left with her mouth open which was enough response for Professor Clairmont.

He looks expectantly at Elizabeth, "You have no idea what you are, do you? What you are capable of?"

With a shake of her head, he suddenly lets out a heavy sigh. He has never had to educate a witch about their background, much less teach them how to control their powers.

"Alright then. You are definitely not going to your rooms. You are coming with me. I am apparently the chosen one to introduce to a whole new world."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Thank you so much for following this story and for continuing to read, despite the lagging updates! Please comment, favorite, and follow!  
In the future, if there are any timelines issues from the book/show, feel free to comment on that. I have trouble getting that part right and would appreciate the feedback._


	5. Cannonball

_Cannonball by the Sweeplings_

Elizabeth and the professor walked together towards a different part of campus, where most science and engineering buildings were. Never the one to look into science, Elizabeth had no idea where he was taking her, just trying to memorize her way back to the pub, so she could go to her rooms. She was nervous, not only for the obvious interest that this man was focusing on her but also about the small interrogation that he made her.

She had to put a stop to this. Elizabeth stopped following the professor and removed her arm from his grasp. "Maybe I should just head back to my rooms, sir. I am sure that I will forget all about this tomorrow." Elizabeth hoped that this man would hear her and just leave her alone, but that didn't seem to be the case.

He stopped walking and turned to her. Professor Clairmont took a second to look at this young girl closely, and he realized that she was completely clueless and naive to her surroundings. Elizabeth Winston had no scope of her capabilities and was ignorant of her identity. Professor Clairmont's features softened and tried to approach the matter with more delicacy and understand for the young girl in front of him.

"I am very sorry for scaring you Ms. Winston, but I need you to understand that what you might see as abnormal, might be your average self all along." Professor Clairmont tried to approach this in the most logical sense, and as he stared into the eyes of this young, scared teenager, he knew then that he hit the right spot.

With hesitation and curiosity, Elizabeth walked towards him once again and followed the professor. Could he possibly know the reason behind all these occurrences that would happen to her? Would she finally get an answer and some sense of control? It was all up to the man next to her to see if she would finally get the guidance she needed, lacked, and was scared of.

* * *

Both of them walked into a building and down a single narrow staircase that led to a set of offices in the basement. As they continued to walk, Elizabeth took notice of inside the offices, or more aptly called, laboratories.

There were all types of science equipment, along with vials of blood and other fluids in test trays. She realized that this Professor's focus was in biology and possibly genetics, based on the large number of samples that Elizabeth could take notice of just passing by. Once they reached the last office in the back, Professor Clairmont entered a passcode into the keypad and then placed his thumbprint onto the scanner, which then unlocked the door. He opened it and held it open for Elizabeth to walk through. With hesitancy, she took a couple of steps inside and froze when she saw a young woman and man inside the laboratory.

The young woman had a very slim figure with caramel-colored skin. Her attire is what one would find at an indie concert or for a casual night out, meanwhile, the gentleman was dressed more formally, with slacks and a cream-colored button-down. Although the gentleman looked familiar, Elizabeth didn't place too much thought, since his pale complexion made him seem like any other Englishman in the area.

As Professor Clairmont walked in, he quickly started with introductions. "Marcus, I am sure that you remember Ms. Winston. Ms. Winston, these are my colleagues, Miriam Shepherd and Marcus Whitmore, whom you might possibly recall."

It was then that Elizabeth's eyes were filled with realization, "Marcus Whitmore... By any chance are you the same man that was with Professor Clairmont weeks ago?"

Marcus answered with a smirk and a shake of his head. "That was me! Although, I do have to tell that was horrible on your behalf for disregarding your health completely."

Despite knowing that he said it with lightheartedness, Elizabeth felt a small pang of anger from Marcus' statement. She knew that she was the only person who had regards to her own health, with no one even bothering to call and see how she was doing.

As they all gathered around a desk in the laboratory, Professor Clairmont signaled Elizabeth to sit on one of the chairs, while he took another and sat in front of her, leaning his forearms on his knees. Both Miriam Shepherd and Marcus Whitmore stood behind him, eyeing both the professor and student with mere curiosity. The professor took a deep breath before he started this necessary conversation with the young woman who was about to have her world turn upside down.

"Ms. Winston, before I start..." the professor started, but before he could continue, she jumped in.

"Please, call me Elizabeth. I believe the conversation that we will have should warrant that we address ourselves by our first names, don't you?"

"Alright then. Elizabeth, before I start, I need for you to have an open mind. Without that, it will be very hard and redundant to provide you with all the knowledge that you should have been given long ago." His eyes stared straight into hers, her breath missing a beat with the intensity that the man's gaze was giving. Elizabeth gave a slight nod, the anticipation building inside her.

It was this phrase that caught the attention of his two colleagues. Miriam arched her eyebrow at the last statement and looked at the back of his head, "What do you mean with 'knowledge that should have been given'?"

Professor Clairmont took a deep breath and tersely moved his head to the left to address Miriam, "If I can get through this conversation without your input, I would very much appreciate it, Miriam. Elizabeth will need the information all at once, not in bits and pieces."

Miriam glared in response but did not say a word. With that, the older man regarded Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth, we've established that you have faced many obstacles throughout the year, but, for you, it was without meaning. In reality, all of this is very natural for someone with your background. You come from a lineage of witches, Elizabeth, that's why you do unexplainable things."


	6. Author's Note

Hello everyone!

I apologize for not posting at the moment. Believe me when I tell you that I have all my chapters compiled, but I am in the editing process right now to try to deliver my best work for you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for continuing with this story. If I do not have a chapter up within the next 12 hours, it will for sure be delivered by next Tuesday.

Once again, thank you and hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Sincerely,

LizWinston


	7. Get Home

Somewhere in the back of Elizabeth's mind, the term 'witch' connected with the images from her U.S. History book. The flashback of women under stones and Scottish pictures of women being burned at pillars with their hands tied to their back.

Elizabeth's breath was becoming shallow and lower by the second. Matthew leaned towards her, picking up on her change of breathing. He took his hand to place on her shoulder, but Elizabeth pushed her chair back, maintaining the proportion of space between them. He brought his hand down.

Elizabeth was left shaken from the revelation. The only thing that kept ringing in her head: her parents. After all this time that she has been left alone, mourning her mother and the loss of her father, those memories kept rushing back. Could Elizabeth's parents have known this about her? "

Curiously, Matthew answered. "Yes, although there are some cases where the witch gene will be dormant and activate generations later."

With the few times that Matthew has encountered Elizabeth, there were some things that he observed which made him wonder about what this teenage girl had gone through. From the lack of touch and apparent fear in her eyes, there were many scenarios running across his mind, but none of them were light. All of the assumptions made his stomach sick, and just thinking one question:

_What has this girl gone through? _

She paced throughout the laboratory, trying to keep her breathing at a minimum. There was so much information that she had to process, from her identity to the identity of the three other individuals in the room.

"You mean to say that you, and I, aren't human?", questioned Elizabeth, trying for them to make sense of the information for the past 15 minutes.

Matthew was staring at the unsettled girl in front of him. For some reason, fate kept bringing him to her, and vice versa, her towards him. He has only cared for those that he brought into this world, much less would he do for this witch.

Which is why his next words surprised him:

"Elizabeth, if you promise to always do as I say and keep this to yourself, I will help you adapt to this new world."

Elizabeth stopped at his words. Something seemed to center inside herself and then paid close attention. With this, Matthew continued.

"I cannot teach you properly about the creatures that exist, but I can find someone who is willing to talk and share their knowledge with you."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately thought of Hamish Osborne and Helena Roy. He would need a stable demon and a qualified witch to teach Elizabeth about their world.

She was hesitant about these circumstances. Miriam knew that Matthew was way out of his comfort zone. The most feared de Clermont, after Phillip, wasn't one to take people under his wing. This solution made her uneasy but after many years of being loyal to Matthew, the only thing she could do was stand by his side. Even if she didn't agree.

Matthew waited for a response, but he didn't get one, and he was losing his patience. It was then that Marcus jumped in and commented on her situation.

Marcus approached the situation with delicacy. He knew what it was like jumping into a new world.

"Look, I know this seems very difficult at the moment. But with guidance, especially from Professor Clairmont, you'll be alright."

Being the center of attention, Elizabeth had an offer on the table that she had to either accept or decline. The pros and cons were bouncing through her brain and into her consciousness. As the seconds tided by, her decision solidified more and more.

"I'd appreciate if you could help me."

Those were the words that Matthew wanted, and feared, to hear.

His moral compass pointed to help Elizabeth guide her and teach her about this world without prejudice, yet his natural conscience directing the opposite. Elizabeth would survive is she was capable. Without that thought, he chuckled internally wondering what Darwin would think of that statement had he been here to witness the situation.

This was when Elizabeth head Miriam speak for the first time:

"So that means that you'll be under the de Clermont protection and Matthew's charge."

At the word protection, Elizabeth's blood ran cold, mind blank, and face pale as a ghost. Marcus noticed quietly the reaction and tried to diffuse the fear that was waiting to explode. He took a step towards her, "Calm Elizabeth. Miriam only means if you were ever in an uncomfortable situation. That's all."

Elizabeth visibly relaxed but still has some underlying hesitation about these circumstances. She felt like a caged animal and knew that this was her time to leave before she gave a visual demonstration of her newfound identity.

She stood up slowly, afraid that her legs would give out under her and she would have needs once again medical assistance from the doctors present in the room.

"Unless there is something dire that needs to be said, I think I will now head to my rooms."

Matthew sighed. Nodding with understanding, he then stood up, ready to accompany her to her rooms, but surprisingly, there was another figure that decided to take that task.

Miriam approached Elizabeth with confidence and authority. Both Matthew and Marcus had said their piece, but Miriam needed time to share hers and ensure that this girl knew what she was getting into.

"No worries. I will go ahead and ensure that she makes it to her dormitory alright. Guide the way Elizabeth."

With that, both Elizabeth and Miriam walked out of the office and towards the ground floor of the building. When stepping outside, Elizabeth turned towards Miriam ready to ask a question, but Miriam cut her off immediately.

"Before you continue to talk, remember that vampires have heightened senses, including hearing. Which means that the men downstairs can hear us."

At the word _vampire, _Elizabeth realized she had no idea of the world that she was being pulled into.


End file.
